Korech

Hillel, perhaps the greatest of all the Rabbis, was born at about 70 B.C.E. He felt that two slightly different interpretations could be made of the commandment to "eat matzah and bitter herbs," to eat them separately, or together. Therefore to be certain of obeying God's will he taught that we should do both. The Haggadah says:

"Thus did Hillel during the time when the Temple still stood. He took the matzah and bitter herbs and ate them together, so as to fulfill the commandment 'With matzah and bitter herbs they shall eat it'."

Tradition adds one more custom in honor of the great teacher, Hillel, head of the Rabbinic Academy in Jerusalem around the time of the birth of Jesus. On Passover, Hillel combined the Pesach, matzah and marror and ate them together, so he might observe the Law handed down to him, exactly as his ancestors before him: "They shall eat the Pesach lamb offering with matzah and marror together." The destruction of the Temple by the Romans brought an end forever to animal sacrifices by our people, so our sandwich today is made only with matzah and marror.

Together they shall be: the matzah of freedom, the marror of slavery.

For in the time of freedom, there is knowledge of servitude.

And in the time of bondage, there is hope of redemption.

(We break the bottom matzah, and use it to make a sandwich with marror.)